Feeder for molten glass



Feb. 23 1926. 1,574,736

K. E. PEILER FEEDER Fon lMOETEN GLASS Filed August s, 1912 3Sheets-sheet 2 I 'In @ze ggg/a Feb. 23 1926. y 1,574,736

v l K. E. PEILER FEEDER FOR MOLTEN GLASS 3 Sheets-v-Sheet 3 i??? /KUNITED STATES PATEM OFFICE.

MARIJ E. rEILER, or HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASsrGNoR, RY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, To HARTECRDLEMPIRE COMPANY, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE.

FEEDER RoR MOETEN GLASS.

Application led August 3, 1912. Serial No. 713,143.

To all @atom z' may concern:

Be it-"known that l, Knuf. E. PEILER, a citizen" of the United States,residing at lHartford, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in Feeders forMolten (irl-ass, of which the following is a specification.

The invention to be claimed herein comprises an inclined rotatingmember, preferably contained in aheated chamber, on which glass is fedin a stream from a suitable source of supply, and 'from which .it isdelivered for subsequent workino'.

ln this application )lshow and describe la form thereof which isespecially desirable and useful in connection with automatic orsemi-automatic machines for pressing and blowing glassware, in which itis important to feed the molten glass to a mold, or to successive molds,in gathers of uniform size and at uniform intervals of time and insynchronism with the machines.

rEhe embodiment of this invention illustrated herein is shown to beapplied Vat the outlet of a glass melting tank, delivering its separatedcharges or masses of glass upon a chute leading to a mold or molds, hereassumedf'to be supported upon the table of a glass?` pressing machine.

' Figure 1 of the drawings isa front view of this embodiment of theinvention, in section taken on the line 1-1 of Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 2 isa side view projected from Fig. 1 and in section taken on the line 2-2of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a plan view in section taken on the line 3--3 ofFig. 1. Figs. 4 to 14 inclusive are detail views in larger scale,showing the gathering head at successive stages in its operation. Figs.4, 6, 8 and 10 are side views showing the different stages ofaccumulating the glass upon the athering head, the glass being Shown insection taken approximately through the longitudinal center of the head.Figs. 5, 7, 9 and 11 are end views projected from Figs. 4, 6, 8 and 10,respectively, and are shown in cross-section taken substantially acrossthe largest diameter of the gathering head. Figs. 12', 13 and 14 areadditional end views especially illustrating the winding up andabsorption into the next globule of the thread or cord from which theprevious globule was severed.

' Figs. 15 and 16 are detailed views showing a part of the drive for thepurity.4

' The glass melting tank or furnace 1 containing the Supply of moltenglass 2 is provided with an outlet spout 3 along which a stream 4 of themolten-glass flows. A gate 5 made of refractory material, for regulatingthe Size of the Stream, and for stopping italtogether when necessary, isherein shown to be suspended from a bracket 6 by means of a rod 7,threaded nuts 8 or any suitable device being used for adjusting the sizeof opening beneath the gate. The s out 3 is preferably enclosed by ahood 9, also of refractory material, for confining the heat andmaintaining the [lowing stream in a'suitable heated condition. One or.more gas jets 10 are also preferably provided as shown in Fig. 2, formaintaining a suitable and regulated degree of heat within the hood. yThe stream of molten glass 4' flows from the end of the spout upon arotary gathering or accumulating head 14, which is herein shownprojecting throughan opening in the side of the hood, the arts eX osedto the heat being made of sultable re actory material. The head 14 iscarried by a suitable stem or shaft 15, which is mounted for rotation inthe bracket 16, or any other suitable frame, which may be appurtenant toor integral with the general structure of the furnace. The s haftl15 isprovided with a friction roller 17, through which rotary motion iscommunicated to the head from a friction disc'lS, which is mounted upona shaftl 19 journaled in a bracket 20 andis. driven by means of a beltapplied to the pulley 21 from any convenient source of ower.

' The rotative speed of t e gathering head may be varied by changing thesize of the pulley 21, or the relative size of the friction roller 17and disc 18, or in any other convenient way.

ln order to produce the desired intermis- Sions in the rotation of thegathering) head. to allow the accumulated gathers to ecome sus ended andsevered therefrom, the erip eral driving surface of the friction Isc 18is -interru ted as shown at 22 in Flg. 2, the relative length of thedriving surface and of its interruption being proportional to therespective` periods required for gathering and discharging drops orgathers of the suiiiciently to enable the required size. Obviously thiswill depend upon the size of the stream of glass flowing to the head,and the frequency of the operations. The size of the head should beproperly proportioned to these conditions.

For convenience in thus proportionirfg and altering the alternatingperiods of rotation and rest of the gathering head, the friction disk ispreferably made in two adjustable parts as shown in detail in Figs. 15and 16, clamped together by a bolt 66 passing through a slot 68 in thedisk 64, which permits these disks to be adjusted circumferentiallyrelative to each other, so as to vary the length 67 of thecircumferential interruption and thereby correspondingly vary theperiods of intermission durmg which the gathering head rests from itsrotation.

For all purposes now contemplated it is considered permissible andpreferable thus to entirely interrupt the rotation of the gathering headduring/,the discharginoperation, and since this can be accomplished bythe silnplest fortms of driving devices, it is thus illustrated. herein.It will ber 0bvious, however, that this is due to the availability ofsin'lplamechanism rather than to the requirement of the operationitself, since for the discharge of the glass it is only necessary toretard the rotations of the. head glass to slip down over the surfacesof the head faster than those surfaces carry the glass up. Therer forein possible instances wherein it may be found preferable thus to merelyslacken the v rotations of the head,

or even to reverse them, as above suggested, either of these may beaccomplished by various well-known and comparatively simple forms ofmechanism. A

In instances where sufficient time can be allowed, shear mechanism maybe dispensed with and the suspended drop be permitted to separate itselffrom the gatherin head by its own weight, which may be aided bystartingthe head earlier, thereby winding up and attenuating thethread,- to make its severance more definite and uniform. But for bestresults I prefer to employ means, which may be of any well-known form,for severing the drops or globules of glass. The

' severing means shown herein comprises a pair of shears, the blades 27and 37 of which are pivotally mounted upon a common center. The lowerblade 27 is fixed upon a collar 28, appurtenant to a sleeve 29, whichextends downwardly through and has a bearing/in the bracket 30,

the lower end of the sleeve having upon it a bevel gear 31 meshing withthe driving bevel gear 32 upon the shaft 33vjournaled in the bracket 34.The upper blade 37 is secured to the collar 38, fixed to the shaft 39,which extends through and is journaled in the sleeve 29 'to be in thetendency the glass wou head is supported at one and has fastened uponits lower end the bevel gear 40. scillating movement is communicated tothe shaft 33 and its driving gear 32 by means of an arm 42, to which ispivoted a connecting rod 43 having upon its upper end a cam roll or pin44 running in a cam groove 45 in the face of the cam 46, which issecured toannd turns with the shaft 19. As a means of guiding the upperend of the connecting rod, it is here shown to be provided with a slot47 through which the shaft 19 passes, a collar 48 being employed uponthe outer side of the rod to retain it in position 'against the cam.

The drop or gather of glass after being 'severed from the head may falldirectly into the mold or other receptacle for which it is intended, incase the construct-ion and arrangement of the associated machineryenables this to be done; or. as shown in Fig. 1, the severed drop mayfall upon transporting means such as a chute 51 supported by a cross bar52, to which the chute may beI pivotally clamped at 53 to permit thechute to be inclined at the proper working angle. The delivery endof thechute may extend to and above a mold 54, or succession of` such molds,upon a mold supporting table 55, or to any other arrangement to whichthe glass is to be delivered.

The rotary gathering head is here shown general form of a spheroid, theaxis of which is preferably inclined, as shown .in the drawin s, toovercome the d otherwise have of or shaft 15. The of its poles by its orshaft 15. Its

fiowing along the stem connection with\ its stem opposite pole ispreferably provided with a polar protuberance 56, especially when thegather 1s likely to be large, relative to the surface ofthe head. Thisprotuberance 'insures a more `uniform distribution of the accumulatingglass over the surface of the head, and appears to hold back the glassfrom flowing across thaty polar portion of the head during its rotatingand accumulating period.

In the operation of this feeder, the. stream of molten glass flowingagainst or upon thc revolving surface of the head and flowing thencesidewise toward the polar portions of the head is thus ywound around anddis-' tributed over the surface and accumulates thereon as indicated bycomparison of Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive. When a sufiicient amount of moltenlglass'has thus been accumulated -by the head, its rotation is slackenedor 10 falling into or upon the chute, or being' Iself would be drawn outand severed by the weight of the drop. .To avoid the formation of fineand extended threads and also to increase the rapidity and uniformity ofoperation, severing means are preferably employed, such as the shearsillustrated and described herein, which sever the attenuated neck atregularv intervalsand thus'separate otherwise taken care of, as may bedesired.

This leaves the head with' the glass re1nain= ing upon it, and whateveramount of glass has iowed upon it during the severing operation, inaproximately the condition shown in Fig. 12. Practically coincident withthe severing operation, the head resumes its former 'rate 'and directionof rotation, thus winding up and absorbing the severed end of the thread61 as shown in Figs. 13 and'lfl, and thus continuing the accumulation ofanother drop as illustrated in Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive.

rIhe size of the drops formed may be varied by varying the volume orlthe rapidity of [low of molten glass to the head, or by varying thelength of the interval from one stopping and severing operation to theynext. The size of the head, its rotative speed, the time of the pauseand the time of rotation may each or all be vaied to give the desiredresults. Instead of stopping the head altogether to allow lthe glass tosag down and formy the drop its rotative speed may be merely'diminishedso that the glass upon the head flows down faster than it is carried upagain by the rotating movement.

Or the direction of rotation of the head may be momentarily reversed toallow the drop to `form and be severed.

The supply of glass may be made to ow against or upon the head either bygravity or in any other available way.

It is considered preferable to provide a hood and gas jets, or othermeans, for heating the interior of the hood as herein shown, since'thisprevents undue chilling of the glass drop or gather, maintaining it inuniform plastic condition. It also serves to prevent undue chilling ofthe attenuated neck of the drop, and serves to keep hot er to rehea-tthe remaining thread of glass left by the severing operation. The sheardevice niay be of any suitable kind, and its blades may be protectedfrom the heat when in their open-or inactive posit-ion by meansI ofshlelds of suitable refractory material.

Or the shear blades may be opened wider or withdrawn during theirinactive period far enough from the head to avoid being over heated.

The size and form of the gathering head 14, the angle of inclination ofits axis, and the rate, direction and variance of its rotation may bemodified. to suit different rerotar volving varying thespeed of rotationof thel gathering heath-,or involving results produced thereby as the'same are claimed in applications filcdas divisions orcontinuationshereof. l

I claim as my invention 1. In a device for feeding molten glass, a

gathering head having' an approximate y spheroidal form.

2. In a device for feeding molten glass, arotary gathering head havingan approximately spheroidal form, provided with a polar protuberance.

3.' A feeder for molten' glass, comprising a rotatable gathering head,means for rotating said head, `and means for flowing molten glass uponsaid head, while rotating, whereb a layer of glass is accumulated aroundthe head.

4. In a feeder for molten glass, a rotatable gathering head having anapproximately spheroidal form, with its axis inclined from thehorizontal, and means for rotating the head upon its axis.

5. In a feeder for molten glass, a gather'- ing head having anapproximately spheroidal form, supported at one of its poles forrotation, and provided at its opposite pole with a polar protuberance.

6. In feeders for molten glass, the coinbination of a rotary gatheringhead. means for supplying a lconstant flowgof molten glass to andwinding it around the head, and means for heating said head and itsaccumulating glass. v

7. In feeders for molten glass, the combination of a rotary gatheringhead, means for flowing a continuous supply of the molten glass'to andwinding it around the head, and means for heating said head and theglass flowing thereto.

8. In feeders for molten glass, the coinbination of a conduit for'flowing molten glass, a rotary gathering head disposed in contact withthe flow ofglass, means for rotating the head to gather an accumulationof the flowingy glass, and heat-retaining walls covering the conduit andlaterally surrounding the head to confine the heat of the glass thereto.

9. Apparatus for handling molten comprising in combination an inclinerotatable implement, means for rotating said implement, and means forflowing molten glass upon said implement as it rotates, whereby a layerof glass is accumulated around the implement.

10. In combination, a container for molten glass, a, channel conductingand dislasscharging the glass from said container, said channel having adischarge 11p over whlch -the glass flows in a continuous stream, a

' glass, a channel conductingv and discharging the glass from saidcontainer, said channel having a discharge lip over which the glassflows in a continuous stream, a vertically movable-gate for controllingthe flow of glass through said channel, and a rotatable implementarranged to receive and Wind the said stream of glass, said implementbeing mounted rotatably in a bearing and being inclined downwardly fromsaid bearing to. a free lower end.

l2. In combination, a container for molten glass, a channel conductingand discharging the glass from said container, said channel having adischarge lip over which the glass flows in a continuous stream, a.vertically movable gate for controlling the flow of glass through saidchannel, a rotatable implement arranged to receive and wind the saidstream of glass, said implement being mounted rotatably in a bearing andbeing inclined downwardly from said bearing to va free lower end, and anenclosure surrounding said implement and adapted to heat the glass uponsaid implement.

13. The combination with a container for molten glass having2 at itsoutlet, a member rotating on an inclined axis and receiving on itsperiphery glass flowing from the outlet, the member having a diameter,at its lower end less than at the point where it receives the glass.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication.

KARL E. PERDER.'

